Test Krewe notification sent!

To debunk badmouthing and for your indulgence I compiled a list of people who publicly declared their Test Krewe membership:

Black Metal (Guru 01/09)
Jiggles (Guru09/07)
rangereminem1984 (Guru 12/06)
Masmar (Guru 05/08)
I MP I (Guru 11/06) (claims to be done with GW. As if..)
Shayne Hawke (Guru 05/07)
razerbeak (Guru 05/06)
König des Todes (Guru 01/08)
Kain Fz (Guru 01/08)
Geod (Guru 04/07)
pansy malfoy (Guru 04/07)
Falrow (Guru 05/05)
ImmortalMitch (Guru 12/05)
Shawn (GW-Incgamer 11/06)
Friend of Karuro from GW-Incgamer (details unknown)
Player_70985 (GW-Incgamer 9/04) (former alpha guy)
Shadowhand (GW-Incgamer 04/06)
4thVariety (Wartower 05/05)
Mystery Man #1 (Wartower) (former alpha guy)
Mystery Man #2 (Wartower) (plays since Prophecies)

According to fenix: Axiom, Arky, JR, Auron


I'd say the task is pretty simple. If I take henchmen and wipe the floor with the PvP guys, then it's not balanced

If the forum join-dates are an indication for how long people are roughly playing GW, then I'd say the mixture is across the board. If the selection of people is taken as an indication of which player tastes ArenaNet wants to serve, then I'd say they do not want to leave any group behind. Neither PvE nor PvP. Neither pRo nor newbie. My list is 15% of the Test Krewe, that should also give people an idea.

They ran the original alpha test group for a few years, which was essentially LTK with a different name. It had the same cross section of PvP and PvE players, and largely the same goals.

True, but there's a big difference here. Alfa people usually have a clue what they're doing.

Here, I have the feeling the majority of the Krewe is just some PvE'ers who signed up for the lulz.

Again, enough examples:

Bamboocha, noxify, list continues.

So many people who are inactive, have no clue what game balance is, or will simply be shit at basic testing. (Interaction between skills)

@Feldsper:

I went to the moon on a self-made rocket, proof me wrong.

I don't see the distinction. The alpha test group was exactly the same: Players from the community who applied to join.

you really don't have all the information needed to come to that conclusion. unless you know all the krewe members and have read all their applications, any assumptions you make just cause you to look rightly ignorant.

the goal of any beta testing experiment with any hope of success is to get a full spectrum of players involved. that includes players you might not personally like or agree with, and players that you might not even believe are suitable for the job. they represent a portion of the player base too, whether you like it or not. i've been a part of several beta tests for other games and that's just how it is done. i'm sure the pvp people don't want the pve people balancing their part of the game, and vice versa. if your beta testers aren't bickering, you've done something wrong.

i was on one dev team where we only recruited top pvp players for the test. you know what? it was horrible. we released the patch and people hated it, and it was super buggy because everyone was too obsessed with balance to watch out for the bugs. we also broke a part of the pve game because nobody bothered to go test it. epeens were bruised, EA was mad at us, and we had to make a new patch. we recruited some lesser known players and fansite staffers and they were just the voices we needed to get it done right, and the next patch was a huge success. we learned the hard way.

Would all of you stop this ridiculous nonsense?

The test crew hasn't even started working already and you all imagine PvErs bringing doom to PvP and god knows what else. Give them a chance people. Chill out. At this point no one has any real clue about what they're talking.

Negativistic bunch as always.

There wasn't a community back then. I don't know how U applied for GW aplha, but I assume you had to dig pretty deep to find it. (Gw had very few marketing)

So your average gamer (The "clueless" gamer) wouldn't have applied.


If you place an application form for a job in the middle of the Ghetto, you're going to get different people than if you were to have put that application form in, let's say, a library.

People who signed up for alpha ACTIVLY SEARCHED for a new game to test. People who signed up for LTK simply saw the form on the intro-screen. Some people, even admitted, simply signed up "for the lulz", and got selected.

Also, do you people have the feeling I'm targetting you or something? I am not. I'm merely pointing out the fact that the representation of the PvP-scene is very poor.

I know Test Krew has only just been selected, but when U give a handgrenade to someone with the Down-Syndrom, you know what to expect.


The matter of fact is that PvE needs very few Q/A. PvE can't be broken due to the fact that Charr won't complain when they get hit by a 2500 damage spell. PvE, for what it's worth, can be fixed by adjusting 3 simple skills. (SF, RoJ and CoP)

PvP needs so much more. It needs insight, understanding of mechanics, understanding of game balance. The people who have that (Of each individual format HA and GvG) have not been selected, and that's what I find sad.

The original Alpha test was fairly skewed towards PvErs, but ANet would bring in top guilds in order to augment the player base as needed. My experience there though was that the PvE players tended to comment more about PvE things and PvP players would be testing and posting PvP things.

The actually testing tended to be very tedious, and you were required to write reports every night after you ran through the things to be tested. Only areas to be tested were enabled for the most part (for the various expansions) so its not like you could exploring or whatever. And there was pretty high attrition rate due to the monotony of the testing. As such, I would expect that ANet will be looking to add folks over time, though the method of choosing people probably will vary from what it was before.

I realize that people who did not get in are very disgruntled, but the reality is that probably thousands of people applied and there was no way everyone would get in. Also as JR states, it is highly unlikely that any changes are going to be made unless they are driven by the devs themselves. This was the case in Alpha and with the Balance forums for the most part. Testers do QA, not design. To be QQing about the sky falling because any particular person was accepted into the test is just plain ill-informed ranting.

How can you know that, without knowing everyone who was selected for the krewe? I figure you know maybe the 15% that 4th variety posted. What do you know about the other 85%? You are not pointing out a "fact", you are - again - posting speculation.

Lots more "facts" there. They're entertaining, but they are not facts. Firstly, the test krewe is not responsible for "fixing PVE". They are there to test whatever skill changes a-net wants to try for PvE. I don't think even you really believe that play testing is that simple and doesn't need proper Q/A.

Again, you don't know that. You don't know 85% of the people who have been selected.

Your speculating how many people he knows or maybe doesn't know, either way you just shot your self in your foot by saying he is speculating when you are doing no different.

I was selected for the test Krewe.

I imagine I was chosen because I focused on high end gvg (I was a member of cow, MH, and lag) but also enjoyed playing other forms of pvp (I achieved a high rank in tombs, RA, AB) and even pve (I earned survivor 3 and such before nightfall came out). That, and months of writing e-treatises about skill balance here and other places back in the day. =P

I'm very excited about GW2 and hope it preserves the core ideals of prophecies -- skill over grind, a focus on competitive play, and an emphasis on narrative, quality game mechanics, and gameplay as opposed to time sinks, gear, level, and grind/gank like other mmos. I also like world pvp I have experienced in other games (such as eve, aion) and hope to see a better version of that in GW2. But above all, let GvG be even better than GW1.

I will happily pass on any information I am allowed to because I know many of you love the game like I do and want to see it succeed.

Good luck to the selected people, but i'm pretty sure this Test Krewe doesn't gonna change something in the state of the pvp in Gw1 (= clinically dead)

Why the Test server is not open to EVERYBOBY like in World of Warcraft?

Imo it has rly nothing to do with it. as i know loads ppl wo joined here before they started playing to get some idea. but also loads ppl who joined years after they started.

Hardly. Are you telling me there is a complete list of all people in the Test Krewe, and their experience? That everyone has seen except me? The best I have seen so far is 4thVariety's list, which is only about 15%. So my comments are valid right now. When we know the full list, THEN there might be some conclusions to draw.

And exactly what speculations have I presented as facts? Such that I am doing the same as Killed U Man?

Well, just for the record, I've been on guru MUCH longer than 01/09. I posted this a few weeks ago in the Screenshot forum:



And I have been playing since the original preview, with my main account being 51 months old and a total of 8904 total hours.

Just to debunk your correlation between guru join date and actual in-game experience

Good luck to the Test Krewe, hopefully with their help it leads to better updates.

My guru join date does not correlate to how long i've been playing, its quite a bit off.

I live in the US, I meant the person who posted "It's good to be king" - aka Daniel Frozenwind (who lives in England).

Because they don't want everyone to be open to the test server, and there is plenty of legal things (such as the non-disclosure agreement, which many people on this forum would openly give out *which by the way, Anet will sue people who do, and the person sued will have to pay Anet's attorney*).

Agreed, for instance, I didn't know of Guru (or sign up) until a year and a half after I started playing GW. Or any fan-site (even wiki!) for that matter.

There are also people who do not go to Guru or GWO who got in (or at least, are not active on Guru and/or GWO).

Though guru join dates, on average, do estimate to around when they stated playing the game (that is, if you take all Guru members, and average out the join date, then take the time the same people started playing GW and average that out, the overall should be similar).

I really wonder the Test Krewe is going to test. If Sealed Deck really gets released today? and the UW quests Linsey's been burning midnight oil for? What is left? I honestly assumed that the Test Krewe would be testing Sealed Deck as kind of the opener to learn them in to the test process....

I know at least one person not on the list of current people, who does not live in the United States.

As for the list, throw my name on it. I got an invite as well. PvX ftw This should prove to be a wonderful experience. I hope we can all do a great job for you guys. ^_^ <3

Linsey has a couple of more ideas up her sleeve

@Anon: There are a lot of non-US players on the Krewe, yes.

We will keep an eye on the Test Krewe project as a whole, and how it is progressing. If we feel it is appropriate, we might consider inviting more people at a later date.

*Crosses fingers, toes, and braids hair*

Grats to everyone who made it in the Krewe. Don't screw up our game

My life was too busy at the time to apply



*More crew possible later date? That would really be nice, especially if some didn't live up to expectations*

will you post the list, which Anet sent to you of everyone that's been selected, all 200 of them, please?

let me ask you some questions:

is it possible that you only know a small fraction of the people selected?

of the 5,000,000 or so copies of GW sold, what is your estimate of people that play primarily PvP and primarily PvE?

is it possible that Anet selected more PvE'ers than PvP'ers because there are more PvE'ers than PvP'ers?

is it possible that Anet, as a business, may want to cater to their larger demographic in order to sell more copies of future games?

is it possible that some of the PvE'ers may be asked what it would take to get them interested in PvP, and then for the PvP'ers who were selected to also give input?

is it possible that some of the PvP'ers may be asked what it would take to get them interested in PvE, and then for the PvE'ers who were selected to also give input?

is it possible to get 2 teams of 8 experienced PvP'ers, from the entire list of 200 people, to test whatever updates may happen to HA and GvG before the updates are released to the public?

is it possible that you have absolutely no idea what the test krewe is actually going to be asked to do?

Huhu...
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. On the form there was a question related to your gaming style. More than half of the answers were about PvP? My first thought was "It's not fair".
I'm a bit disappointed (got some experience in the gaming industry) but I'm trying not to take it as a personal insult (like most of the people probably do). I just don't suit the profile they've set

On the good side... instead of sitting 12 hours a day on the test server I'll continue with my education - some serious exams ahead. Oh yea... and I've got job too. And a wife

I don"t think that the test krew needs to work 12hours a day. One reason is the test krew does it for free. So they just help anet wenn they want by login in and helping with testing stuff. Its no job which need to be done each moment of the day. Most people got school and other stuff or a real job.

I KNOW the top HA-scene. No-one of real value to HA got selected. (Including me)
So I don't need to know the 200 people that got selected. I'm not bitching about the 200 people that got selected, I'm bitching about the people that DIDN'T get selected. (AKA people who know the ropes of HA) -My focus primarily is HA, as GvG is relativly well supported in the Krewe-

1) PvP'ers are like Turbo Diesels compared to Diesels. (PvE'ers) They are everything PvE'ers are and more.
Do you think PvP'ers don't play top PvE? No, they do, alot even. They just get bored with the repetitive grind, and that's when they PvP.

Is the opposite true? Nope. A top PvE'er who didn't know who or what a Guild Lord actually did, I have seen it.

-And before you go there: Some top PvP'ers indeed play few PvE, nearly NO top PvE'ers actually play some PvP-

The truth is that the PvP community IS the smarter community. If you want to believe otherwise, so be it, than I'm finished discussion this topic.

So in short:

Picking 200 top PvP'ers would mean you got 200 people who know how PvP works, and know how PvE works aswell. (win win)

Picking 200 top PvE'ers would mean you got 200 people who know how PvE works, but BARELY know what Claim Resource actually does.

See where I'm getting at?

Then stop promoting GW as a competitive PvP game. They're only doing false marketing. GW hasn't been competitive since long, I know (I find checkers to be more exciting than GW), but atleast there always was a split between PvE and PvP.

GW is a dead grind game. Only few still try to contradict this. With no non-repetitive end-game content whatsoever, PvE'ers ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO PvP.
If they STICK to PvE, they do so for a reason: They're not competitive enough to play PvP -majority of the cases- OR they simply like to farm, and refarm, and refarm some more.

Tough, I'dd love to see more PvE'ers find their way to PvP myself, they do NOT need more catering. Heroways in HA and GvG already brought PvP down a redicilous level.

So we do NOT need PvE'ers/PvP'ers deciding how we can get more PvE'ers to PvP, we already have enough problems to deal with. Instead, work on some serious PvE content. -Which won't happen anyways-

Dumb question. I have yet to find a PvP'er who hasn't reached PvE end-games. Even if for the PvE skins.
Let me lay it out for you:

Buy GW: PvE -> End-Game -> PvP

This is the route you should, and 99.5% of the people DID, follow. Also, why would we want to promote ANYONE into doing GW PvE? It's not a game like WoW where PvE is something that deserves promoting. What will you promote about GW PvE? "You now only have to kill this boss 900 more times instead of 950 for your next armor with exactly the same skin as your previous one"

They haven't given any information on this yet. And if they will do it this way, I'll be pleased. No, If they DON'T do it this way, I'll be severely displeased. And regardless of how they'll do it, they once again failed severly hard in their selections nontheless. (Noxify has been inactive for months, yet he got selected? I'm NOT calling him out, it clearly is his right to sign up for the contest)
Some people that got selected shouldn't have won, and the fact that I can pick em out just like that says how blatantly obvious it is they didn't put any effort in selecting the LTK.

There always is that .1% chance they will be asked to bake cookies and cake for Anet. But I doubt it.

Test builds on private servers. This requires an EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE of skills (something which most PvE'ers don't have), effects and mechanics.
Post feedback and suggestions.

wasirite?

Short aswer no, long answer, hell no.

It seems that people just want this thread to degrade to another PvE vs. PvP argument, and as such it has very limited value.

Martin and Regina have posted some responses to people's concerns, but the reality is that there are going to be people unhappy about not getting in and unhappy about who did *apparently* get selected to get in.

I suggest that if people want to have a constructive discussion about the LTK that they instead start a new thread focused on that, and leave out the ranting about the selection process and such.